In the interview below, Arielle Ford discusses her book The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction
If you would like to download the audio of the interview and listen to it on your Ipod, Phone, or MP3 player please visit Spiritual Media Blog’s podcast on Itunes by clicking on the link below.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-arielle-ford-author/id308845604?i=52892263
You can purchase Soulmate Secret
Discover the Gift—the movie, the book, and the movement—began more than four years ago in a moment of illumination. It has grown into a project with one goal: to help people find the power to transform our world.
Discover the Gift feature-length documentary was created by award-winning filmmaker Demian Lichtenstein, with his sister, Shajen Joy Aziz. The movie celebrates the basic but vital reality that there are Gifts in each person, and in all circumstances, that are simply awaiting discovery.
Framed by the touching personal narrative of siblings Lichtenstein and Aziz as they describe their own journeys toward joy, power, fulfillment, freedom, and unconditional love, Discover The Gift offers powerful lessons from authors, educators, activists, artists, and icons including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Jack Canfield, Terry Tillman, David `Avocado` Wolfe, Mark Victor Hansen, and Niurka.
I recently had a chance to interview the co-creators of Discover the Gift, Demian Lichtenstein and his sister, Shajen Joy Aziz. In our candid conversation, they talked about why they created Discover the Gift, the reaction it has received, and their own personal journeys.
For example, Shajen shared with me that she asked her brother Demian a very direct question about when his work was going to match the powerful transformation she was noticing within him. She bluntly asked him:
“When is the man I know going to start to do that same kind of work in the world?”
Shajen added that she was seeing a big shift in Demian, yet the work he was doing wasn’t matching who he had become and who he IS internally so she asked him when that shift was going to happen.
Demian told me that that question set him into a journey of discovery and eventually helped inspire him to create a project, book and movie that would transform the world– Discover the Gift.
Throughout the rest of the interview Demian and Shajen share with me what it was like to create a transformational film, the reaction it received from Hollywood filmmakers at its premiere at Sundance Film Festival and the type of impact that movies and media can have on people.
After speaking with Demian and Shajen, it is obvious that Discover the Gift will inspire people from all backgrounds, cultures and belief systems to find their own unique gifts and offer them to the world.
You can download an MP3 of the interview by ‘right clicking’ the text below
RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MP3 of Interview
Conviction
Well, after 18 years of one legal and personal setback after another, Betty finally gets her brother, Kenny Waters, freed from prison…Please let me repeat that:
It took Betty 18 years of working towards her goal to free her brother, Kenny, from prison for a crime he did NOT commit! Imagine working 18 years working towards a goal while experiencing one ‘failure’ after another…
To me, this is an inspiring example of what many great spiritual teachers describe as being TOUGH MINDED and TENDER HEARTED…
Betty was committed to freeing her brother from prison no matter how long it took and no matter what obstacle she had to go through. This type of commitment requires a very tough-minded individual –- someone who will remain committed to their goal NO MATTER WHAT…
My favorite scene in the movie is when Betty’s then husband tries to tell Betty that it is okay that her brother is in prison and she should stop wasting her time trying to free him. Betty’s then husband says to her: (after Betty had spent close to 10 years trying to free her brother):
“Why don’t you accept that your brother will be in prison for the rest of his life and there is nothing you can do about it?”
Betty fires back with fierce determination in her voice and says:
“I WILL NEVER ACCEPT THAT!”
This is often the necessary level of commitment and tough-mindedness that it takes to achieve our goals and carry out our destiny. In order to truly accomplish our life missions, we must cultivate a mindset that we MUST accomplish our goal and NEVER accept anything short of that….
What drove Betty to have this type of strength and determination?
I believe it was the ability to infuse her tough-mindedness with a tender heart and the innocent love she had for her brother. Throughout the movie, we see that Betty’s desire to free her brother is pure, innocent and comes from the love that she has for her brother. Betty and Kenny have a bond of love between them that drives Betty to continue to help her brother no matter what setback presents itself.
This is very impressive to watch and helped me realize that when we infuse a tender heart into our mind, then it becomes much easier to remain committed to our goals and mission in life, especially in the face of adversity. Watching the movie prompted me to ask myself:
What is really motivating me to move forward and pursue my dreams?
If we can shift to a space of innocent love for others, our self and our God-given missions in life, then that unadulterated love can help us develop the necessary tough-mindedness, spiritual power and personal resiliency to persevere through any challenge and carry out our life missions.
In the picture below, Jill Mangino (right) with her Public Relations mentor Arielle Ford (left) at the Hay House I Can Do It! Conference in San Diego.
Jill Mangino is president of Circle 3 Media, a public relations and media consulting agency that specializes in promoting Natural Health & Wellness, Spas, Eco-Friendly, Human Potential and Non-Profit organizations, as well as, products, services and personalities that inspire and uplift humanity and positively impact the planet.
I had the honor of interviewing her about what is like to promote organizations and people who make such a positive impact on the world. In our candid conversation, she talks about some of the challenges she faces and offers advice for people who would like to break into the human potential industry either as an author or spiritual entrepreneur. For more information you can visit her website by clicking here.
Listen to the Interview:
The Way of the Superior Man – A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire is a book that immediately grabs your attention simply based on its title. The author, David Deida, backs up these claims in the title with a “no non-sense” practical guidebook for living a masculine life of integrity, authenticity and freedom.
David writes, “It is time to evolve beyond the macho jerk ideal, all spine and no heart…It is also time to evolve beyond the sensitive and caring wimp ideal, all heart and no spine.” The Way of the Superior Man presents the ultimate challenge — and reward — for today’s man: to discover the “unity of heart and spine” through the full expression of consciousness and love in the infinite openness of the present moment. Or as Ken Wilber puts it, “Finally, a guide for the noncastrated male. This book will offend and infuriate some, inspire and test others, but challenge virtually everybody.”
With straightforward advice, David Deida writes about the importance of living our true purpose in life. Often by using blunt examples, David also shows that the cost of not living our true purpose is a loss of strength, freedom and integrity which hurts our relationships, career and sex life. However, when we are pursuing our mission in life, we are filled with a sense of direction that results in a type of freedom, fulfillment and personal strength that helps us master the challenges of women, work and sexual desire.
The Way of the Superior Man is available on Amazon if you Click Here
Would you ever consider quitting your job to travel to Egypt and follow your dream?
Well, that is exactly what happens in Whatever Lola Wants, a movie about an American postal worker (Lola) who travels to Egypt to take belly dancing lessons from a legendary instructor.
Whatever Lola Wants is an adventurous tale about the ups and downs of following your dream. In the beginning of the film, Lola has a calling deep inside of her to be a belly dancer. Something within Lola is asking her to act on this desire and move to Egypt. However, Lola initially questions her calling and believes she must keep her stable job as an American postal worker. Eventually, though, with the encouragement of her friends and an attractive Arab man she falls for, Lola is inspired to quit her job and move to Egypt to become a belly dancer.
After Lola gets to Egypt, we watch her wrestle with her personal fears and try to overcome some difficult external obstacles that come her way. As we witness Lola struggle with the inner and outer challenges of following her dream of pursuing dance, we begin to wonder if Lola will discover what she really wants.
While taking the viewer on a fun and thought-provoking ride, the movie suggests that our dreams that originate in our hearts are calling out to us for a very definite reason. However, we may not initially know exactly what that reason is, where that dream will take us and the type of impact we might have on others when he have the courage to follow through on our heartfelt desires.
This movie prompted me to ask myself:
1. “What are my dreams and are they worth pursuing?”
2. “Do I have the courage to follow my dreams when I don’t know exactly where they might lead me?”
3. “What type of person would I become if I do NOT follow my dreams?”
Moreover, this movie inspired me to realize that while our external dreams may come true, the true joy of following our dreams is transforming into the type of person we can become — only by going through the hero’s journey of venturing from the safety of the known to the magic of the unknown and the mysterious adventure that awaits us when we follow through on our heartfelt dreams and most authentic callings.
In a recent interview for Authentic Listening Rahi Chun chatted with Jen Grisanti, Author, Story Consultant, Independent Producer, former VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount and former Head of Current Programming at Spelling Television. In that interview Jen speaks about the importance of authenticity, healing, and spirituality as they pertain to great writing, and the ways in which her practices have nourished her path as she moved from overseeing scripted series at Spelling and CBS/Paramount to creating Jen Grisanti Consultancy.
You can watch part one of that interview below. Part two of their interview is available at http://www.authenticlistening.com/home.html
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Rahi Chun is the creator of the Authentic Listening Series. The Authentic Listening Series is a web site that features video interviews with leaders in our entertainment industry who discuss candidly how listening to their authenticity and inner truth informs, nourishes, and influences their outer professional lives. I invited Rahi to contribute an excerpt to Spiritual Media Blog to share why he created the Authentic Listening Series. Below is his response…
“As I was meeting with entertainment leaders about producing and co-collaborating on “conscious media” projects, I found myself consistently inspired and fascinated by those whose inner journey of listening to Spirit is being reflected in their outer entertainment endeavors. I wanted to shine a spotlight on these entertainment leaders and their inner journeys of consciousness as a source of inspiration, as well as a celebration, and in doing so, inviting us all to give ourselves the permission to live, express and celebrate our authenticity as Spiritual Beings having a human experience. The result is the Authentic Listening Series at www.authenticlistening.com”
In his stunningly beautiful, non-fiction feature film Oh My God
Frustrated by religious turmoil and fanaticism he posits the age-old question, “What is God?” to religious leaders, zealots, spiritual luminaries, humanitarians, fundamentalists, and ordinary people, along with celebrities including: Hugh Jackman, Seal, Ringo Starr, Sir Bob Geldof, David Copperfield, John F. Demartini; all who share their unique perspectives and understandings of God. Peter’s journey to question a diverse group of humanity takes him around the globe from the 9th ward of New Orleans to the Guatemalan Jungle; from the Himalayan region of Ladakh to the Australian Outback.
Controversial, hopeful and heartwarming, in Oh My God, Rodger questions why we often blindly believe and explains, “I was fed up with the ‘My God is greater than your God’ syndrome…I made this film because I believe we all have a responsibility to live our lives with tolerance and understanding of our fellow man…If only we could open our hearts for tolerance and peace which is what every religion preaches, then we might have a chance. If I can touch one heart with this film, then I have succeeded.”
I had the chance to interview Peter about his film. He told me about his filmmaking journey, including some difficulties he initially encountered that almost caused him to give up. Additionally, Peter shared with me some encounters that put his life in danger while he was making the film, including an interview with extremist Muslims in Kashmir. Peter said that what the film doesn’t show is that he had the protection of commandos armed with submachine guns behind him during his interview with militants.
You can listen to our entire interview on iTunes by clicking the link below
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-peter-rodger-producer/id308845604?i=63619524
If you would like to watch Oh My God, it is available for purchase on DVD on Amazon if you Click Here
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This article is a Guest Post about Joan of Arcadia
One of my all-time favorite TV shows is Joan of Arcadia. The series is available on DVD. I recently watched the first season again and found it just as touching, funny and insightful as I did when it first debuted on television.
In this sweet, divinely inspired show, the main character Joan (Amber Tamblyn), a high school student, keeps meeting God in many different guises: an old woman at a bookstore; the telephone line repairman; the lunch lady in the school cafeteria; the rebellious peer at school. In each instance, God asks something of Joan, always something Joan does not want to do. When the request is first made, Joan cannot see the workings of the Divine Mind. God’s request appears – and is – completely illogical to her. Yet, as Joan consciously chooses trust over fear, she allows God to work in and through her. And as she does, she brings light into the world.
This is, indeed, the way the Universe works. Divine Will arises within us as an impulse, a feeling that we want to do something, a sense (often illogical) of what steps we need to take. Unaware that these impulses have a Divine origin, most of us then reason ourselves out of the impulse, deferring instead to the voice of the fear-based ego that seeks to protect us.
The intelligent story lines in Joan of Arcadia make clear just how intimately connected all lives are. As Joan listens to and follows the suggestions of God, she touches one life, which then touches another, which then touches another . . . until
an intricate, elaborate web of connection is revealed for all to see. Joan is then blessed with something most of us will see only in our life review: the profound impact we had on others.
Joan of Arcadia beautifully illustrates how Divine Will wants to and will work through us to enlighten the world – if only we will allow.
This post was written by Robert Schwartz. Robert is the author of Your Soul’s Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born. A free PDF with a large sample of the book is available on Mr. Schwartz’s web site at www.yoursoulsplan.com.
You can purchase Joan of Arcadia on DVD on Amazon if you Click Here
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Prior to his stroke, Bauby was an editor of a popular French fashion magazine, Elle, and had a book deal. The movie shows Bauby writing his book using an exhausting form of communication that requires him to blink his left eye when his nurse speaks a particular letter. The cinematography for the film is quite ambitious as it depicts Bauby remembering what his life use to be like. Some scenes give the viewer the perspective of the main character as he sees his eyelid opening and closing. Then, it switches to a scene of Bauby imaging a mountain, feast or past social occasions.
This movie achieved great critical acclaim. It was a four-time Academy Award nominated 2007 film. The director Julian Schnabel won best director at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Many critics listed it as their top ten favorite films of 2007. One small downside is that the movie is spoken in French and has English subtitles.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly shows that we are far greater than our bodies and the human Spirit is capable of filling our life with meaning, joy and purpose even if our body is in a debilitated state.
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